Lincoln author Richard Carwardine to speak at LMU commencement

Richard Carwardine, President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, will deliver the commencement address at LMU’s graduation on May 4.  Carwardine is a specialist in American history whose book Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power won the Lincoln Prize in 2004.  His previous positions include Rhodes Professor of American History at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford and Professor of American History at the University of Sheffield.

Commencement ceremonies begin at 11:00 A.M. at the Tex Turner Arena on the Harrogate campus.

Lincoln, law, and necessity

By Michael Lynch

I asked the students in my introductory Lincoln course to write an essay on Lincoln’s use of presidential power.  I told them to decide whether Lincoln abused his authority and overstepped the Constitution, whether he was too timid, or whether he used his power judiciously, and to defend their answer in a short paper.

Although I assured the class that there was no “right” answer to the question, and that they were free to excoriate Lincoln as harshly as they wanted, the results came back overwhelmingly in his favor.  Of some two dozen students, only three found his use of power excessive.  The rest of the class generally agreed that Lincoln acted properly, given the circumstances he faced.

Interestingly, though, the two groups defended their positions quite differently.  The students who argued that Lincoln assumed too much presidential power cited specific passages of the Constitution to make their case.  Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus, in particular, came in for criticism.  As these students noted, the Constitution permits such an act “when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it,” but this passage is found in the article dealing with powers of Congress.  The legality of a presidential suspension of habeas corpus while the legislature was out of session was therefore a matter of controversy during the Civil War, and it remains so today.

Adalbert Volck depicted Lincoln as Don Quixote with his foot on the Constitution in this 1861 etching. Image from the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

The students who defended Lincoln, by and large, did not try to cite law and precedent to demonstrate that his actions were legal.  Instead, they argued from necessity.  Rebellion on the scale of the Civil War was something no other president had faced, and most students felt he had no choice but to act as he did in order to preserve the Union.

A few of the students who defended Lincoln did find him a bit too hesitant in one respect; they wished he had issued his emancipation decree sooner.  But they also noted that their preferences in timing weren’t necessarily practical, and agreed that Lincoln had good reasons for waiting as long as he did.

I found it interesting that the two groups of students differed in their approaches, because Lincoln himself used both law and necessity in defending his more controversial policies.  Referring to his suspension of habeas corpus in a message to Congress in 1861, he noted that “the attention of the country has been called to the proposition that one who is sworn to ‘take care that the laws be faithfully executed,’ should not himself violate them.”  At the same time, however, he observed that all the Constitution’s provisions were essentially going unenforced “in nearly one-third of the States.”  Was it acceptable for “all the laws, but one, to go unexecuted, and the government itself go to pieces, lest that one be violated?  Even in such a case, would not the official oath be broken, if the government should be overthrown, when it was believed that disregarding the single law, would tend to preserve it?”

In any case, Lincoln continued, his suspension of habeas corpus was not a case of “disregarding the law.”  He believed he had acted within the limits established by the Constitution.  After all, that document permits habeas corpus to be suspended in a case of rebellion, and while it does not explicitly permit the executive branch to exercise this power, neither does it explicitly forbid it.  Besides, since “the provision was plainly made for a dangerous emergency, it cannot be believed the framers of the instrument intended, that in every case, the danger should run its course, until Congress could be called together; the very assembling of which might be prevented, as was intended in this case, by the rebellion.”

Lincoln thus hedged his rhetorical bets in his message to Congress.  He made a case for the constitutionality of his actions, and if that failed to convince his critics, he asked whether they preferred to see one law stretched and the Constitution saved or watch the whole Constitution tossed aside by the rebellion while the Union’s hands remained tied.

If my students’ essays are any indication, many modern Americans will support leaders who use extraordinary means so long as they believe the ends are worthwhile.

—Michael Lynch graduated from LMU with a degree in history, worked at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum as an assistant curator, and now teaches survey-level history courses on campus. He holds an M.A. in history from the University of Tennessee and blogs about historical topics at pastinthepresent.wordpress.com.

War in the Mountains Symposium this April

The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum will host the third War in the Mountains Symposium on April 20, 2013.  This event will feature presentations by several notable scholars on Appalachia and the Civil War:

• Dr. Wilma Dunaway, Professor of Sociology in the Government and International Affairs Program at Virginia Tech, whose books include The First American Frontier: Transition to Capitalism in Southern Appalachia, 1700-1860 and Slavery in the Mountain South
  
• Dr. Brian McKnight, Associate Professor of History at UVa-Wise and author of Confederate Outlaw: Champ Ferguson and the Civil War in Appalachia and Contested Borderland: The Civil War in Appalachian Kentucky and Virginia
  
• Dr. Michael Toomey, Associate Professor of History at Lincoln Memorial University and author of a number of publications on East Tennessee history

Dr. Charles Hubbard, Director of LMU’s Abraham Lincoln Institute for the Study of Leadership and Public Policy, will preside over the symposium.

For more information, call 1-800-325-0900 ext. 6439 or (423) 869-6439.

“God Didn’t Choose Sides”: Special Civil War music event coming to LMU

Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) and the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum (ALLM) will welcome some of the nation’s top bluegrass artists for a special benefit music event at the Sam and Sue Mars Performing Arts Center of the Duke Hall of Citizenship on Friday, February 22.

The historic concert will celebrate the February 12 release of Rural Rhythm Records’ “God Didn’t Choose Sides: Civil War True Stories about Real People” album that coincides with the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The concert and CD features some of today’s top artists including: Steve Gulley, Dale Ann Bradley, Marty Raybon, Carrie Hassler, Brad Gulley, Tim Stafford, Rickey Wasson, Dwight McCall, Dave Adkins, and the Gap Creek Quartet. Supporting musicians include: Sierra Hull (mandolin), Jason Burleson (banjo), Brandon Godman (fiddle), Phil Leadbetter (dobro), Bryan Turner (bass) and Debbie Gulley (vocals). Mark “Brink” Brinkman will also provide a special songwriter segment. 

The proceeds from the concert will benefit the ALLM and help fund a documentary on the project that is currently under development. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show will begin at 7 p.m. Two ticket options are available. A VIP experience includes a reception at the LMU President’s House before the concert, a copy of the CD, VIP seats at the show and a meet and greet with the musicians after the show. VIP tickets are available for $100. General admission tickets are $35. Tickets can be purchased online here.

The album, “God Didn’t Choose Sides: Civil War True Stories about Real People,” includes 12 original songs inspired by journals, stories and artifacts from soldiers, civilians and politicians during the Civil War. Also included on the recording is the traditional song “There is a Fountain” performed by the Gap Creek Quartet. It’s a collection of songs that focus on the common men and women who were thrown together into the realities and horrors of war; people who displayed amazing acts of kindness, selflessness, faith, love and brotherhood. All but one track, “Legend of Jennie Wade,” on the album were recorded, at least in part, at Steve Gulley’s The Curve Studio in Cumberland Gap, Tenn.

Accompanying the music is an extensive 16-page booklet filled with historical notes, photographs and lyrics. LMU and ALLM archivist Michelle Ganz provided historical content supervision and materials from the ALLM collection. Additional assistance was provided by ALLM Program and Tourism Director Carol Campbell and the historical booklet notes were provided by Jamie Lynn Brinkman.

Rural Rhythm Records has set up a dedicated site for the album that includes interviews, additional content relating to the history behind the songs, songwriters, performing artists and musicians. Visit RuralRhythm.com for more information.

The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum is located on the historic campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. Housing one of the top five Lincoln and Civil War private collections in the world, the Museum is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about this and other programs at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum, call 423-869-6235.

What do American college freshmen think of when someone mentions Lincoln? (An unscientific survey)

By Michael Lynch

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been teaching a section of the introductory course on Abraham Lincoln which all freshmen at Lincoln Memorial University are required to take.  On the first day, I asked the students to write down five things they think of when they hear Lincoln’s name.  I didn’t require correct answers, and I told them not to consult any books or other sources.  I was just curious to see what comes to the mind of the average American eighteen-year-old when Lincoln is mentioned.

The most common responses by far involved some aspect of the assassination, with all but five of the students mentioning Lincoln’s murder.  About one-third of them referred to the fact he was shot in a theater, and one-fifth mentioned John Wilkes Booth by name.  One of them mentioned Booth’s close proximity to Lincoln at the 1864 inauguration.

Lincoln’s height was the second most common thing that came up, followed pretty closely by references to the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s opposition to slavery, and his “Honest Abe” moniker.  One-quarter of the students mentioned the fact that he was the Sixteenth President of the United States, and the same number mentioned his iconic stovepipe hat.  One-sixth of them referred to Lincoln’s whiskers, his Kentucky background, his appearance on American currency, his “railsplitter” nickname, or his association with the Civil War.

The early deaths of several of Lincoln’s relatives was mentioned twice.  So was the Thirteenth Amendment, the date of his birth, his election to the presidency, and the association of his name with LMU.

Only two incorrect statements appeared in the responses.  One student claimed that Lincoln was “stern and serious,” perhaps confusing his appearance in formal portraits with his actual demeanor.  Another wrote that Lincoln got into hot water with his dad for chopping down a cherry tree, but I half suspect that this answer was an intentional joke rather than an honest mistake.

The following references each appeared once:

• Member of the Whig Party
• He dressed badly
• Born in a log cabin
• Was a Republican
• His wife shopped a lot
• Carried letters in his hat
• A public speaker
• Had many enemies
• Was a great leader
• Loved reading books
• Had “defined” facial features
• Had disturbing dreams
• Mentioned the names of attending doctors at his deathbed
• Gettysburg Address
• Wrote about giant bones at Niagara Falls
• Grew up poor

Only one student mentioned the Gettysburg Address, which came as a surprise to me.  Also surprising was the reference to Lincoln’s short meditation on Niagara Falls, one of his more obscure written works.  In addition, I expected to see more references to his humble origins and log cabin birth, since that’s been such an important aspect of the Lincoln cultural phenomenon over the years.  In fact, of the five major aspects of “Lincolnian memory” identified by historian Merrill Peterson (the savior of the Union, the great emancipator, the man of the people, the first American, and the self-made man), only the notion of Lincoln as emancipator was prominent in the students’ responses.

Finally, three students mentioned the recent “vampire hunter” meme.  I leave it to you to decide whether that number is alarmingly high or reassuringly low.

—Michael Lynch graduated from LMU with a degree in history, worked at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum as an assistant curator, and now teaches survey-level history courses on campus. He holds an M.A. in history from the University of Tennessee and blogs about historical topics at pastinthepresent.wordpress.com.

Visiting the namesake

A few staff and faculty members from Lincoln Memorial University’s Carter and Moyers School of Education just returned from a National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education conference in Washington, D.C.  There wasn’t much time for sightseeing, but they did manage to take in one of the capital’s premier attractions.  Can you guess which one they chose to visit?

Exhibit explores Lincoln on film

The current temporary exhibit at LMU’s Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum covers the history of Lincoln on film.  Abraham Lincoln and his era have long been popular subjects for filmmakers, and two major productions about Lincoln are slated for upcoming release.  

We asked ALLM Curator and Assistant Director Steven M. Wilson a few questions about the exhibit and the history of Lincoln in the cinema.  In addition to his work as a public historian, Wilson writes historical fiction; his novels include Voyage of the Gray Wolves, Armada, and President Lincoln’s Spy.

Why an exhibit about Lincoln on film?

Abraham Lincoln is an icon in popular culture and has been interpreted in films, stage, and television virtually since his death. Movies are a big part of American society. It seemed appropriate.

How do you go about doing the research for a project like this?

It helps to have a working knowledge of American movies. The stars, directors, composers, and writers who created these movies were actually employees of huge movie factories. There are countless on-line sites (such as Internet Movie Database) that provide an excellent starting point to begin an investigation of the Lincoln films.

 What are some items visitors can expect to see?

Abe Lincoln in Illinois held its southern premiere on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University in 1940. Besides a shooting script signed by the principals, the exhibit features dozens of photographs of the premiere ceremonies and stills from the movie.

We also wanted to expand our investigation to include the wide variety of interpretations Lincoln underwent through the years. The first, of course, is President Abraham Lincoln in D. W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation. This inflammatory films that paints the newly formed Ku Klux Klan as the avenging instrument of justice. Lincoln’s death at the hands of the heroic John Wilkes Booth is laudable and necessary.  The exhibit also has excerpts from Lincoln commercials, television shows, comedy skits, and cartoons.

We seem to be seeing a resurgence of interest in Lincoln on the silver screen, with projects like The Conspirator, Spielberg’s upcoming movie and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  Why has Lincoln been such a popular subject when it comes to making movies?

Good drama is based on loss, personal triumph, a struggle of good versus evil, and validation. Lincoln’s personality is so well-defined, and so apparent (not necessarily accurately), that’s it’s possible to tell his story in whatever permutation for a large audience. Draw a picture of a top hat and beard and you have instant recognition of Lincoln.  Talk about the dual themes of tragedy and conflict on a monumental scale, and you have the Civil War. It is a field that has been plowed many times, but it never fails to yield a compelling story.

On balance, how accurately do you think Hollywood has treated Lincoln and his era?  Have Lincoln movies contributed anything positive to public understanding of the man or of history in general?

Like any mythical, iconic, or historical figure Lincoln has had to endure his share of Hollywood poetic license. The artist as director or scriptwriter has a vision, and is not averse to trampling history to get at it. John Ford, director of Young Mr. Lincoln, is a  celluloid Frederick Remington—painting the American historical landscape with an unapologetic varnish of pure Americana. His Lincoln is poetic, humble, brave, troubled, but inherently American through and through. Watch any of these films for their entertainment value only.

Do you have any personal favorites when it comes to onscreen portrayals of Lincoln?

It’s a toss-up between Raymond Massey, Sam Waterston, and Henry Fonda. They all bring qualities of interpretation to Lincoln that enhance the viewer’s experience.  I guess my sentimental favorite is Henry Fonda, mostly because I’m an unabashed fan of John Ford.

Finally, here’s an irreverent question.  What’s the most bizarre or inaccurate Lincoln-related movie you encountered while working on this exhibit?

The Lincoln Conspiracy by Sun International is probably the most ridiculous entry in the Lincoln cinematic field. Falling back on the Otto Eisenschiml theory of Stanton’s role in the assassination of Lincoln, the only thing this turkey lacked was ancient aliens, Nostradamus, and gravy.

Second “War in the Mountains Symposium” this weekend

Lincoln Memorial University’s (LMU) Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum (ALLM) will present a Civil War symposium entitled “War in the Mountains II” on Saturday, April 21, 2012. The event is part of the institution’s ongoing commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War.

LMU Professor of History and Abraham Lincoln Historian Charles Hubbard will preside at the event. Dr. John Inscoe, professor of history at the University of Georgia, will present “Guerrilla War and Remembrance.” Dr. Earl J. Hess, professor of history at LMU, will present “Civil War Soldiers and Appalachia,” and Dr. Steven Nash, professor of history at East Tennessee State University, will present “Roguish Yankees and Rascally Freedpeople: The Civil War and Emancipation within Cornelia Henry’s Household.”

Inscoe has taught southern history at the University of Georgia for over 25 years. A native of western North Carolina, much of his research and writing has focused on nineteenth-century southern Appalachia, specifically on the issues of slavery, race and the Civil War. He is the author of Mountain Masters: Slavery and the Sectional Crisis in Western North Carolina; Race, War, and Remembrance in the Appalachian South; and co-author of The Heart of Confederate Appalachia: The Civil War in Western North Carolina. He has edited or co-edited volumes on Georgia race relations, Appalachians and race in the 19th century, southern Unionists during the Civil War and a volume on Confederate nationalism and identity, produced as a tribute to Emory Thomas. He recently completed a book entitled Writing the South through the Self: Explorations in Southern Autobiography.

Hess holds the Stewart W. McClelland Chair in History at LMU, where he has taught since 1989. He completed his B.A. and M.A. degrees in history at Southeast Missouri State University. His Ph.D. in American Studies, with a concentration in history, was awarded by Purdue University in 1986. Hess has taught at a number of institutions, including the University of Georgia, Texas Tech University and the University of Arkansas. He is the author of more than a dozen books on Civil War military history, the latest of which is Into the Crater – The Mine Attack at Petersburg. The University of Tennessee Press has published his latest work, an engaging history of the University entitled Lincoln Memorial University and the Shaping of Appalachia (UT Press, $45). Hess was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2002. More information on books written by Hess can be found at http://www.love-and-learning.info.

Nash is a post doctorate fellow at ETSU. He earned a bachelor’s degree at The Pennsylvania State University, a master’s from Western Carolina University and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. Nash’s areas of interest include the 19th Century United States, the Civil War and reconstruction, Appalachia and environmental history.

The symposium will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with two breaks. The event is open to the public. It is free to LMU faculty, staff and students. Students from other colleges and universities will receive a 50% discount off the $30 registration fee. Civil War-related books will be available for purchase at the event. For more information or to pre-register contact Director of Programs Carol Campbell at 423.869.6439 or by email at carol.campbell@lmunet.edu.

Warren Greer to speak at LMU’s commemoration of Lincoln’s death

Lincoln Memorial University’s (LMU) Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum (ALLM) will welcome Kentucky Historical Society Professional Services Specialist Warren Greer as the keynote speaker at the University’s annual commemoration of President Lincoln’s death, “Now He Belongs to the Ages” on Friday, April 13.

The commemoration will be held on LMU’s Quadrangle at 10 a.m., as part of the University’s observation of the Civil War Sesquicentennial. In the event of bad weather, it will be moved to the Arnold Auditorium inside the ALLM. “Now He Belongs to the Ages” provides an opportunity for the community to honor President Lincoln’s life and commemorate his untimely death.

LMU Professor of English Elizabeth Lamont will recite Lincoln poetry by Walt Whitman and Carl Sandburg. The program will also include the musical talent of Dr. Conny Ottway.

For more information, contact Carol Campbell, director of programs, at 423-869-6439 or via email at carol.campbell@lmunet.edu. The event is free and open to the public.

Sneak peek

The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum staff is currently at work on a new temporary exhibit.  This display will examine portrayals of Lincoln in film and on television, featuring original posters and other items.  Here’s a sneak peek at one portion of the exhibit under construction; it’s slated to open later this month.